Celebrating Nursing Leadership at the Countess

What has Professor June Anderson the Director of the Stirling Dementia Services Development Centre, Jane Cummings the Chief Nursing Officer for NHS England, Baroness Audrey Emerton a cross bench member of the House of Lords and our very own Director of Nursing and Quality Alison Kelly all have in common?

Don’t know? Well I’ll tell you… They are all on the inaugural Nursing Times Leaders’ list. Download the final list of 46 here.

A long list of over 200 individuals were put before the judging panel, through debate they collectively decided those individuals who have demonstrated strength across the five key areas outlined by the NHS Leadership Academy’s Healthcare Leadership Model. The five key areas are: Leadership, influence, impact, role model and legacy.

This is what the judges said about Alison… “She is regarded as a visionary by her staff for her commitment to improving the working environment, which also benefits patient care”.

I am really chuffed that Alison has received this recognition. I know she would be the first to acknowledge that this is recognition not just for her personally but also for the professional and nursing leadership shown by all nurse leaders here at the Countess.

We truly have some outstanding nurses caring and working hard every day to provide professional and compassionate care that we can be justifiably proud of. We do not always get it right but I am absolutely sure that our cadre of nurse leaders and nurses will never stop trying too. I am sure that at our hospitals when something happens… something happens.

Earlier this year Alison and the team, over 562 years of collective nursing leadership wisdom, launched our Nursing and Midwifery Strategy 2014 and Beyond. The strategy is underpinned by what we believe are the 3 main principles of our patients’ journey: Quality, Safety and Patient Experience. These principles are underpinned by the national nursing strategy of the 6Cs: Care, Compassion, Competence, Communication, Courage and Commitment.

I am incredibly proud of all the nurses at the Countess of Chester and Ellesmere Port Hospitals. I am delighted that you all have received this recognition. I also want to take this opportunity to thank you for everything you do, every day, to keep our patients safe and well cared for.